NEWS/EVENTS

MAY DAY 2008 RESOLUTION

This Joint Trade Union May Day Rally held on 1st May 2008 at Hyde Park, Colombo

NOTES with satisfaction that May Day this year is being celebrated by workers’ organizations in Colombo , without the diversions and deceptions of the working people that both the UNP and the SLFP have caused in the past, by organising big processions and rallies of their political supporters, for their political purposes, on this historic day of the working class. On some occasions, when governments headed by them have found it inexpedient for them to do so, they have banned the traditional May Day demonstrations and meetings of other organizations, as President Mahinda Rajapakse did through the IGP, under an Emergency regulation that he made just before May Day 2006.

It should also be noted that five organizations of media personnel, are celebrating this May Day, for the first time, together with the trade unions that have organised this May Day Rally. This is noteworthy, particularly because the State-controlled and privately-owned media institutions that employ them, are usually adverse to workers’ organizations that do not collaborate with the Government and/or the capitalist class.

This May Day Rally considers that it is necessary to take stock of the situation in which this country is today, in order to decide what should be done to deal with it, in the best interests of the working people. The main features of this situation are:-

The absolutely unprecedented rise in the Cost of Living since May Day last year, which has been reflected by an increase of the Colombo Consumers’ Price Index by 1400 points. This, be it noted, is double the huge previous increase of 700 points, that had taken place between May Day 2006 and May Day 2007!

The rate of inflation in Sri Lanka is over 20% and is still rising. In the rest of Asia, where also there have been substantial increases in the prices of crude oil and staple food, like rice and wheat, on the world market, governments and central banks have controlled inflation, to maintain an average level of 5%, and not more than 10% in any other Asian country. They have done so mainly by cutting down on unnecessary or wasteful expenditure, and by State subsidies for fuel and essential food commodities.

Fundamental democratic and civil rights have been suppressed or severely restricted under Emergency regulations made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Executive President.

Civil Rights of citizens that have been suppressed are :
Freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention without trial,
Freedom from torture in Military or Police custody,
Freedom from Police and/or Military searches of private premises,
without warrants of Courts of Law
Freedom from questioning of private citizens in their homes or from
being summoned for questioning by the Police, without their being
informed of any recorded complaints made against them;


Democratic Rights that have been restricted or repressed are: Freedom of the Press and Communication, Freedom of Movement, Freedom of Assembly and the Right of Workers to Strike

· The Mahinda Rajapaksa Government has recently abrogated the Ceasefire Agreement entered into with the LTTE over three years ago by the former UNP Government.

· The Government is now engaged in OPEN WAR with the LTTE in the Northern Province .

The State Armed Forces are seeking to oust the LTTE from the areas in which it has been in military control, mainly by aerial bombing and the use of tanks and rocket launchers. This has caused tens of thousands of people to flee from those areas, and to live under deplorable conditions in open refugee camps, like prisoners.

· The Special Task Force (STF) and the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Police and other State “Security Forces”, as well as Tamil para-military forces that are collaborating with the Government, are engaged in arresting, detaining, torturing and even killing people especially Tamil and Muslims, in the Northern and Eastern provinces, who are suspected or said to be connected with the LTTE by informants. People from those two provinces have also suffered like wise in other parts of the country. This is being done without warrants or the authority of Courts of Law, under cover of Emergency Regulations, for “prevention of terrorism”.

· President Mahinda Rajapakse’s Military Chiefs have assured the nation of the military defeat of the LTTE by the end of this year. He has also held out the prospect in his New Year message for 2008 that he expects to “defeat terrorism in all its forms.” The War in the Wanni, continues however, with no sign of the LTTE surrendering its military positions to fulfil those predictions. On the other hand, its “terrorist” activities in other parts of the country, including killings of Government Ministers and increasing numbers of helpless civilians, by claymore mines and bombs in busses have increased.

· The Government has used the media that it controls or that it has intimidated under Emergency regulations and by failing to prevent attacks and even killings of journalists, to induce the belief amongst the masses of our people that all the problems they face today, including the ever rising cost of living is due to circumstances beyond the Government’s control. They are expected to believe that once the LTTE is wiped out, their problems will somehow be solved.

· The Government has printed tens of billions of rupees in paper currency, and has also obtained hundreds of millions of dollars, on interest, to meet its expenditure on the War and for “National Security”. This is in addition to the tens of billions that are allocated for the various “projects” that the President Rajapakse has handed out to the large number of Ministers he has appointed, in order to get their supports in Parliament for his Government.

· Corruption in public expenditure, including “Defence” is not controlled by Government, though the UNP and the JVP have been denouncing such corruption in Parliament.


In this situation, this Joint Trade Union May Day Rally has no confidence in the Governments promises and the prospects held out by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa of a happy ending to this year, that will bring “ Freedom and democracy to all Sri Lankens” , and “sharing of power within a single undivided country, assuring freedom and equality for all”, as stated in his New Year message to the nation.

In the circumstances, this May Day Rally is of the opinion that

· The Mahinda Rajapaksa regime is not likely to accomplish the military defeat of the LTTE by the end of this year.

· Even if the LTTE loses military control of the areas in the Northern Province which it now controls, it is most likely that the LTTE will resort to guerrilla attacks on the State’s Armed Forces by small armed groups and that its terrorist acts in different parts of the country will continue or even increase this year.

· In any case, the rate of inflation and the cost of living will not be brought down by the Government this year, or can be expected even next year, as the Government will have to continue to spend billions of rupees if it continuis its War against the LTTE, as well as on the wasteful expenditure on its various “projects”, and continuing corruptions in that regard.

This May Day Rally considers that it is necessary in the present situation, for all genuine organizations of the working people in this country, and especially Trade Unions to combine their forces, as best they can

1. to demand and secure State subsidies for essential food, fuel, and other commodities, as well for electricity and transport costs, as has been done in other Asian countries,

2. to demand the repeal of all Emergency regulations that enable the Police or the military to violate human rights or civil rights of our people.

3. to demand the repeal of other Emergency regulations under which democratic rights and freedoms have been curtailed or suppressed by Police, Military or other State authorities.

4. to support all meaningful efforts to restore Peace in this country on the basis of a democratic political settlement of the armed conflict of the Government with the LTTE, in the North and the East, on a basis acceptable to the Tamil and Muslim people, who constitute the majority of the population in those parts of the country.